A true country song tells a story. A classic country song takes the listener through an emotional journey.
Zach Stone’s latest release “She Don’t” is no exception. Sonically it’s a little Josh Turner mixed with Scott McCreery. It starts off with a simple acoustic guitar chord progression that is amped up later on with a wailing electric guitar.
First, let’s learn a little bit about the country singer. Zach Stone is 27-years-old and lives in Nashville, TN. The first thing to note when you meet him (or see him perform on stage) is that he exudes energy, charisma and humility. He graduated from Belmont University where he won the “Best of the Best” award and signed a management deal with Jetpack Artist Ventures.
Stone has released several tracks, most notable are his singles “Sorry & Lonely”, “Four Letter Word” and “Hands On”. He was recognized as “the talented colt” by MusicRow magazine for his studio performance with its Discovery Award in March of 2018.
Although he sports the traditional country vocals, Stone stands out with an untraditional story. Zach was born with Brachydactyly, which resulted in the underdevelopment of his fingers and left hand at birth. However, Stone has never felt deterred to reach for his dreams, despite the “hand he was dealt”. He finds strength through it all and has even counseled children that are diagnosed with similar issues.
In his newest single, Stone details an emotional journey that will leave you rocked as he sings about a girl. But as typical of a concept as it sounds, don’t be so sure.
Stone tells this story all the while tricking the listener. The verses create the illusion that boy ends up with girl, but the hook rips off the veil and we take an expected turn as Stone cries out that “She don’t” think the same way as him – a punch straight to the gut.
The first verse and second verses are full of varying “she don’t(s)” of how she’s different than other girls. Then it moves into the chorus of him professing how “she’s the one” and how good they would be together. The third verse changes the meanings of the “she don’t”, all about things she doesn’t know like how he looks at her, what “she deserves”, or “what she’s worth”.
But then, the hook introduces the real meaning (and a heart-wrenching one at that) of “She Don’t”—he thinks she’s the one all right, that they’d be perfect for one another, but unfortunately… “She don’t”.
Enter: the friend zone.
We’ve all been there, you have a crush on someone, you know that you two would be absolutely perfect for one another but no matter what you think the other person… just doesn’t feel that way. It's hard to admit, but you've just been friend-zoned.
Even though it’s a story that is near and dear to Stone and we hear his voice on the track, he initially didn’t think it was right fit for him.
“This song has been an incredible journey because I never thought I’d even cut it. I tend to cut songs that were my idea, but this one Jared came up with. Then Garrett got excited about it and it wasn’t until we’d finished the song and I’d played it through at home a few times before I finally thought “wow I could seriously hear myself doing this.”
What really sold me on it was Jared’s final suggestion after we wrote it. As we recorded the worktape on our phones, he said “what if you don’t say the hook at the end of the first chorus.” This sounds like songwriter suicide because normally you want to use your hook as often as possible, but then as I sang through it, I realized the power we could get out of revealing the hook at the end of the second chorus. It transformed the way I felt about the song and I believe it gives the listener a different journey through the song.”
So, what inspired the concept?
“I’ve had many friendships and relationships end in a “She Don’t” moment. The one thing they all have in common is the promise and excitement at the beginning. That idea of “everything we could be,” and feeling like you’ve found someone who’s different and fits you in a way no one else can. The first verse and chorus capture that, but then there’s a subtle turn in the second verse where you come to terms with the fact that you could be the only one who feels this way, and then you finally get the detestation of the hook over halfway through the song. I love how different that is, and I love the opportunity to take the listener on that emotional journey.”
Credits:
Songwriters: Zach Stone, Jared Anderson, Garrett Biggs
Producer: Jared Anderson
Master: Mike Monseur
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